HOBBIT COINS: INSTANT INFLATION

The New Zealand post office is taking advantage of the country’s setting as Middle Earth for the upcoming The Hobbit movies. As reported by today’s (Thursday) Los Angeles Times, New Zealand Post has begun minting coins and printing stamps featuring characters from the movie that are due to go on sale on Nov.1, about six weeks before the first installment of The Hobbit trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, opens (Dec. 14). While the coins are considered legal tender, it’s doubtful that any of them will go into general circulation. A $1 coin, for example, will be sold by the post office for NZ$29.90 (about US$24) and a NZ$10 coin made from pure gold will be priced at NZ$3,695 (about US$3,020).